9781422274569

Crisis, Stress, and Scarcity When the water demand of an area exceeds the availability, it indicates a water crisis. Many regions are presently suffering from water crises, even though the earth has enough freshwater to meet global require- ments. It is due to the uneven distribution of water in the world, wastage, increasing water pollution, and global warming. When the annual water supply for a person in an area goes below 60,000 cubic feet (1,700 cubic m), it is called water stress; when it drops down to 35,000 cubic feet( 1,000 cu- bic m per person, it is called water scarcity.

Current Condition At present, more than 1.3 billion people in the world are living in areas where there is a physical shortage of water. About 1.6 billion people are facing economic water shortage, which means that their coun- tries lack the monetary means to efficiently draw water from rivers and underground. Most of sub-Saharan Africa faces a similar situation. It is estimated that by 2025, 1.8 billion people will live in areas with water scarcity.

Climate Facts

● ● On average, an Australian consumes almost 264 thousand gallons (1 milllion l) of freshwater annually. ● ● By 2025, about two-thirds of the global population will be living in water-stressed regions if water is not conserved.

Saving Water

9